To begin, melt about a cup of clear base and color with cellini blue mica. Pour a thin layer of soap in five or six squares. Melt a quarter of a cup of base and color with vintage gray. Pour a thin layer in two or three other squares. Slice these into strips when hardened.

Melt about 2 cups of clear base, add scent and teensy tiny pinch of opalescent green mica to add shimmer to the "watery" look. Pour a thin layer in six squares. Spray rubbing alcohol on both the layer and the cut soap strips and start throwing in those cut strips in with the clear/green soap. It doesn't have to be perfect, and I like have random pieces sticking out the top. The dark adds some depth and contrast, but most of the strips are blue. Keep filling with the clear/green soap until you've filled the cavity about 1/2 an inch from the top.

Now you can add the ducky! Spray its backside with rubbing alcohol so it will stick well to the wet soap. You might have to hold it in place as the soap cools and hardens, keeping ducky in place. Pour a touch more clear/green soap on the surface to really glue the duck in. Let harden, and that's it!

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

On May 15th, we had a small group in to learn how to make soap from scratch with Kat. We made two batches of soap and everyone made four bars each, customized with scent and color of their choice. A few people used fun additives like lavender buds and various types of seeds for exfloliant. Check out some of these great color combinations:

Thanks for a fun class ladies! Your friends and family are going to love your new craft :-)

Saturday, May 21, 2011

I have checked out of my room at the downtown Miami Hilton and I'm now killing some time in the warm weather before heading out to the airport later today. As a first-time attendee and speaker at a Soap Guild Conference, I can truly say it was a flawless, successful event thanks to the amazing team behind it. Congratulations! I would like to say a special 'thank you!' to Feleciai Favroth and Robin Schmidt for all their hard work in coordinating everything. It has been so easy to arrange all the little details with both of you, and your positive and proactive attitudes have made this event even more of a pleasure to be a part of. It has been a memorable experience and I am looking forward to next year's conference in Portland, Oregon! Thanks a million.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Hello from Miami! We taught two classes on advanced swirling in cold process yesterday and have had such a blast meeting so many amazingly talented soap makers from literally all over the world. There are tons of vendors this year, amazing prizes, and the food is delish.

One of my favorite parts of the conference is the Soaper's Showcase featuring multiple categories including best scent and best appearance in both melt-and-pour and cold process. There are some fantastic submissions! There is a hand-knit cupcake in the packaging category that Anne-Marie would love :-)

Coming from Washington State, I don't think we have gotten used to such dreamy weather. Each time I leave the air conditioned hotel, I'm hit with 80 degree heat and realize, oh yes, I'm in Florida!

Friday, May 13, 2011

This bright, fun soap is built up in layers and embeds. There is no end of color combos, shapes and design possibilities with this project, so go for it and have fun! To make this soap, start with a yellow layer on the bottom of your loaf mold. I used yellow mica in a clear base for the most vibrant color. Let it harden, spray really well with rubbing alcohol and pour a thin layer of opaque base on top and let that harden. I went ahead and made some basic shaped layered bars for some color, then cut them in pieces to embed. Line them up however you like in the mold, but keep in mind you are cutting cross sections. Spray rubbing alcohol on everything! The embeds and the hardened soap in the mold need to be sprayed so they all stick together.

I finished up by double-pouring the rest of my opaque base on the top, split into two colors. Double-pouring is just pouring two colors side by side at the same time. It helps to have fairly cool soap at this stage so they don't bleed into each other too much. Spray the surface and let it harden. Then the fun part: cutting into bars and revealing your soapy masterpiece!

Friday, May 6, 2011

Mother's Day is this weekend! Running low on time? We can help you put together a collection of luxurious body products Mom is sure to love. Here are a few ideas:

Salt scrubs take only minutes to prepare-- just mix oil and fragrance with your choice of salt.

Grab a few handmade bars of natural soap made from scratch at our store, or some lotion made locally by Jill of Northwest Scents.

We have a huge selection of fragrance and essential oils that have a variety of uses. Put a few drops in some water in a spritzer bottle for a refreshing room or body spray. Peppermint feels great on feet!

Lip balm couldn't be easier with our pre-made base. Just melt the base, add your own flavor oil and color (optional) and pour into tubes or pots.

Make Mom some soap! We carry an abundance of vegetable oil glycerin soap bases, your choice of goats milk, shea butter, olive oil, honey, aloe, hemp, and more! Like the lip balm base, melt the soap base and add scent and color. Pour it into the mold and let in harden in the freezer for about 20 minutes.

Making products is the best! You can personalize everything based on Mom's favorite color and scent. Plus, that extra effort really shows you care. Have a wonderful weekend and Happy Mother's Day!

Why The Soap King?

Located in Bellingham, WA, Otion brings an innovative new twist to the craft of soap making. We are Bramble Berry's retail store where you can try out new ideas, refine your soaping techniques, ask questions or share soap making tips. Plus, we host really fun soap making parties and classes! This blog has soapy projects and information about products the store carries